For this collection of articles celebrating the 50th anniversary of the American Educational Studies Association, I was invited to contribute a narrative detailing my history and relationship to the field, influences to my development as a scholar, the state of the field during my presidency, and any advice or guidance I might share with current scholars and graduate students of Social Foundations of Education. As with any story, my perspectives are partial, based on my memories of events and experiences, and may or may not be consistent with the views and memories of others.